Amber Cowan Transforms Flameworked Vintage Glass into Lush Assemblages — Colossal



Art
Craft

#Amber Cowan
#exhibition
#glass
#nostalgia
#sculpture

“Bittersweet, River and Milk” (2023). Pictures by Matthew Hollerbush. All photographs © Amber Cowan, shared with permission

In elaborate element, Amber Cowan recycles classic glass into sculptures that effervesce with botanical frills and nostalgic motifs (previously). Lots of the items proven right here comprise the artist’s exhibition Alchemy of Adornment, now on view on the Museum of American Glass at WheatonArts, delving into the phases of recognition and eventual decline of glassware. “By the tip of the twentieth century, cheap pressed milky white and coloured glass sweet dishes, vases, and novelties—as soon as proudly displayed in American properties—had fallen from favor,” says an exhibition assertion.

Cowan attracts on the medium’s legacy in her intricate wall items and freestanding sculptures, emphasizing the huge potential of the fabric. Vessels, kitsch, and decor rework into fantastical assemblages centered round femininity, change, and nostalgia. Utilizing glass present in thrift shops, on-line gross sales, or by means of associates, Cowan incorporates vintage items with flameworked cullet, or waste materials that may be remelted. Generally, strangers donate their objects to see them revived in an paintings, and most of the fragments originate from defunct regional producers in distinctive colorways that may by no means be produced once more.

Alchemy of Adornment continues by way of December 31 in Millville, New Jersey. Discover extra on Cowan’s website and Instagram.

“Melanie Strolling Snail with Cart” (2023)

“Artwork Nude Cascade in Jade” (2023)

“Candelabra in Shell” (2023)

“Goals of a Decendant of Sirenuse” (2022), commissioned by Brunnier Artwork Museum

Element of “Goals of a Decendant of Sirenuse”

“Willie the Mouse with Tractor and Practice” (2023)

“Cornucopia in Shell” (2021)

“Lamb and Canine in Sky and Milk” (2023)

Element of “Bittersweet, River and Milk”

#Amber Cowan
#exhibition
#glass
#nostalgia
#sculpture

Do tales and artists like this matter to you? Change into a Colossal Member at this time and assist unbiased arts publishing for as little as $5 monthly. You may join with a neighborhood of like-minded readers who’re keen about up to date artwork, learn articles and newsletters ad-free, maintain our interview sequence, get reductions and early entry to our limited-edition print releases, and way more. Join now!